Little Dancing Doll
by Aria6
Summary: My Halloween fic! Roxas is a doll, always dancing but without a partner. Axel is a dancer who gets partnered with him for a week. See what unfolds! Very pure because, well, Roxas is a doll. XD Mwaha. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my Halloween fic! It's an idea that just came to me when I saw a dancing doll in a comic. ^_^ So! There are two possible endings to this, one happy and one very sad. Which do you want to see? Although either way there's going to be sad moments, so stay tuned!

_I love to dance._

_It's my function. I'm a magical clockwork toy, built to dance. But I love my function, love the feeling of twirling around the stage and the applause of the audience. But sometimes, it feels like something is missing._

_I should have a partner but he was broken in an accident. I didn't know him long so it didn't bother me but now I dance with many partners and none of them ever stays. Will there be a partner for me?_

_Oh well. Until then, I will dance. I love to dance._

* * *

"Roxas!" Princess Kairi called for her doll. He came obediently to her side and she looked at him critically for a moment. "You need to get dressed. Have you forgotten what day it is?"

"No Mistress. But we have over three hours before we are scheduled to arrive. There is plenty of time." Roxas didn't see any problem with the time, but Kairi laughed.

"The way you primp in the mirror that will be hardly enough time! Come on, get started." She chivvied her toy into the changing room and watched as he stripped off his toy soldier uniform and began to change into his dress.

Technically, Roxas wasn't a he, although they called him that for convenience. He was the most amazingly lifelife Tau Li doll Kairi had ever seen. His body was flesh toned, made of a material that was slightly yielding and pleasantly warm to the touch, but his joints were made of screws. Externally sexless, he made a convincing young boy or girl. Today, he would be playing the part of a girl. He easily slipped on his gown, a silky confection full of bows and lace. It was pink and white and made Roxas look particularly young and virginal. But…

"The wig!" Kairi smiled, getting it out for him as Roxas obediently tucked his spiky hair underneath a cap. He came with very pretty blonde hair but it wouldn't do with the dress. The wig she put on him instead was dark brown, delicately curled and topped with a little golden tiara. "Oh, you look beautiful."

"I need my makeup Mistress." Roxas quickly began to apply that. His eyes were blue glass and far too large for any human, but they shifted as he looked at things. He was designed to be right in the perfect spot, human enough to be easy to relate to but not so human that he was creepy. "There." When he was done he looked just like a young, beautiful girl doll, face frozen in a sweet little smile. Kairi hugged him from behind for a moment.

"My beautiful doll." She said fondly and Roxas patted her hand. He liked her. He'd been given to her as a present by her father the King several years ago, after she'd broken her leg. It had been a bad fracture and the doctors had thought she would recover with a limp. Since she couldn't dance now her father had thought to give her a dancing little toy she could watch and Kairi had always enjoyed it. She had confided to Roxas that she didn't really mind not being able to dance since most of the men the girls had to dance with stepped on their feet or couldn't keep a rhythm to save their lives. Roxas laughed because it was true. Sometimes they danced a bit together although Roxas had to go very slowly and help her. But it was only for fun.

Roxas reflected a little on himself as they went down to the drawing room to wait for the King. Kairi was in a beautiful gown of blue silk and let him fetch the books for her, climbing easily up the ladder and looking at the titles thoughtfully.

"Mistress? Would you like the Tale of Silverhoof?" That was a romantic story with a young princess and a daring young man who accidentally kidnapped her and all the adventures they went through together. It was one of Kairi's favorite books and she'd read it repeatedly. Kairi smiled up at him.

"Why not? It will be good to pass the time." She pulled out her necklace and checked the little egg watch that hung from it. "We have an hour to kill."

"I told you it wouldn't take me long to get ready, Mistress." Roxas said with a smile in his voice and Kairi made a face up at him. Roxas' voice was far more expressive than his face and she could tell he was gently teasing her.

"Oh, pff. It's always better to be ready ahead of time." Roxas couldn't object to that and passed her the book before grabbing a book for himself. It was something more suited to his tastes, a book on astronomy. Roxas always found the fictional works rather baffling. Factual topics were soothing and a useful way to gather information. They quietly read together, Roxas' eyes flicking back and forth across the page like a metronome. Kairi hiked up her skirt, flipping one leg over the arm of her chair and Roxas lifted his head.

"Mistress, that is very unladylike." Roxas made his tone faintly disapproving but Kairi just laughed.

"You sound like my nurse! Poo, Roxas! We're in private, aren't we?" Kairi's grin was sweet and elfin. She liked bantering with her little doll.

"A princess of the blood is never entirely private, Mistress." Roxas said severely, then unbent a bit. "Although I detect no watchers." He would certainly have known if they were being watched. His senses were far more acute than any human. "Still, you will crumple your gown." Kairi sighed at that and dropped her leg down, smoothing the blue silk into place.

"Oh, I suppose. I wish you were the princess and I was the doll. It would surely be more restful." Roxas caught the faint edge of bitterness in her voice but didn't really understand it. He vaguely knew it had to do with her impending wedding to a Prince from far off Siliea. She had never met him and wouldn't until he arrived, a year from now. From the pictures she had been sent he was handsome enough, but who knew if they were in the least bit accurate? And then there was the question of if Kairi would even like him. Roxas could almost sympathize but not quite.

"At least you are not alone Mistress." Roxas changed the subject as she looked up at him with a small frown. "This map of the sky is all wrong. They were not very careful in judging distances." That made her laugh.

"Oh Roxas! You should write a book on astronomy." They both went back to their books and soon enough King Ansem arrived. Kairi jumped up from her chair and hugged him vigorously, her limp not at all obvious with her flowing skirts.

"The coach is ready. You know what to do?" Ansem said to Roxas, who nodded.

"Yes Your Majesty." Roxas knew exactly what he was supposed to do. He hadn't seen his partner and wouldn't until they did a quick practice before entering the stage but that would be more than enough. He wasn't human and his partner would be a professional dancer. Unless the man was stiff or unwilling, it would work.

"Your Majesty!" Footmen helped them off the carriage as a graying, slightly fat man bowed deeply to them. The young, handsome man beside him followed suit and Roxas felt a vague surprise as he stared into red, spiky hair. He couldn't recall the last time he'd seen hair of that shade. "Welcome to the Carnival!" Roxas could hear the capital letter and wanted to laugh but restrained himself. Kairi wasn't as collected and giggled behind a raised hand. "This is Axel, who will have the honor of dancing with your construct." King Ansem surveyed the man for a moment and clearly approved of what he saw, nodding with satisfaction.

"Excellent. Go with them, Roxas." He instructed the doll, who nodded and followed the two men. The grey haired man led them and his new dance partner, Axel, walked beside him. Roxas felt the weight of Axel's gaze on him and finally turned his head to meet bright green eyes.

"Hello." Axel smiled easily and Roxas felt a strange feeling in his chest. The man almost seemed comfortable around him. That was very unusual, most people didn't want to speak to him at all. "I've never met a Tau Li doll before. You're pretty cute, you know." If he could have, Roxas would have blinked. His dance partners rarely called him cute, although many other people did. Small children in particular seemed to love his appearance and often wished they had a doll like him.

"Thank you." Roxas hesitated before speaking again in a shy tone. "You're handsome." He really was. Roxas couldn't experience physical attraction, of course, but he was sure Axel would be a fine dance partner with his lanky but finely muscled frame and easy, coordinated way of moving. To Roxas, that was everything. Axel slowly grinned and Roxas was enchanted by the way his lips parted, revealing perfect teeth and the way the skin crinkled at the edges of his eyes. He looked so… so happy when he smiled.

"Why thank you. Now, I'm told you can dance?" Axel was teasing him now, Roxas could tell, but he didn't mind.

"Yes, I love to dance." Roxas said simply as Axel took his hands. They were behind the stage, warming up for their part of the performance, and Axel spun the little doll expertly in his arms as the band played their warmup.

For Roxas, what happened next was simply marvelous. He'd never had a dance partner who _fitted_ so well with him, who seemed so in synch with what he was doing. It wasn't perfect of course. They had a few moments where one or the other didn't quite meet… but that smoothed easily as breathing and soon they floated across the stage, dancing neatly in time to the music. Then someone broke a string and cursed and the band stumbled to a halt. The two dancers slowed then stopped and were left staring deeply into each others eyes, green looking into blue glass.

"You're a wonderful dancer." Roxas finally said and to him, there was no higher compliment to give. Axel smiled, stroking back a few brown curls that had escaped from Roxas' tiara.

"So are you. You'll make a lovely Maiden Isme." That was the part Roxas was playing tonight. It was a very short piece and entirely dancing, so it would suit Roxas perfectly. Axel sighed and pulled his hand away. "I have to go." His part was much longer, although he wasn't the leading man. Roxas nodded, stepping back.

"I will be ready." And for once he would really be looking forward to playing his part.

Roxas peeked out from a special spot on the side of the stage, watching as Axel played his part. He was actually a villain, most of the story, but he would let the Maiden escape and eventually sacrifice himself for the Queen in the end. Roxas had been told it was a true story and maybe it was.

Their turn finally came and the crowd easily recognized the little Tau Li doll as he danced across the stage, meeting Axel for their intimate dance. That was the story, that he had been ordered to kill the unsuspecting Maiden but fell in love with her instead and let her go. They danced across the stage to the music and Roxas gave himself fully to the glory of the dance and felt that fluttering feeling in his chest turning into something deeper, warmer. He was unaware of the crowd's approval or the fact that he was giving what was perhaps the best performance of his life. All that mattered was Axel, the grace and the glory they were creating together.

The dance finally ended, as it had to, and Roxas impulsively kissed Axel before retreating off the stage. That wasn't part of the plan but it fit with the story, and the audience burst into applause as Axel stared after him, hand going to his mouth in surprise. Roxas wondered what the redhead was thinking for a moment, then refused to care.

The dance had been beautiful. That was all that mattered.

"You had a real fun time up there Roxas!" Kairi said happily as the carriage pulled away. The King was smiling, satisfied. He liked to show off the little Tau Li when he could, and Roxas had been spectacular tonight. Roxas looked down at this hands, folded in his lap, then up at Kairi.

"Yes, I did. Axel is a wonderful dancer." Kairi smiled, understanding what that compliment meant to him.

"Well, you'll get to dance with him for a week." Roxas lowered his head, suddenly feeling sad. Only a week? It wasn't long enough. He wanted Axel to be his partner forever.

The rest of the week only confirmed his initial feelings. Roxas didn't get to spend much time with Axel but they talked a little before each performance, and the dancing only got better. The third night, an imp of the perverse seemed to bite Axel and rather than letting the little doll kiss him, he grabbed Roxas and gave him a passionate kiss. The audience laughed but Roxas thought he caught a flash of something in Axel's eyes. Something almost akin to the way he felt when they danced. A warmth, a need.

"Axel." Roxas whispered, but then danced off the stage. He had to play his part and missed Axel's wry smile as he went back to the play.

Then the week was over and Roxas simply couldn't bear it. He needed his partner. Didn't anyone see? Roxas surreptitiously changed into the plainest clothes he had, brown velvet hunting garb, and put on a dark cap over his spiky blond hair. With no makeup he would look almost like a young noble boy, as long as no one got close enough to see his joints. He would go to Axel. They could run away together and dance together always.

It was a naïve plan doomed to failure, but Roxas was only a doll. He couldn't understand the harsh realities of the world. He rode to the camp of the traveling players and searched for Axel, finally finding him behind a tent, mending some clothes.

"My lord?" Axel began warily as Roxas swung off his horse, then blinked as he met blue glass eyes. "Roxas? What are you doing here?"

"I want to come with you Axel." Roxas said breathily as his horse tugged on his lead. The doll controlled him easily. "I want to travel with you and dance with you forever. Please let me come." Axel was smiling and Roxas felt so happy. He had found his dancing partner.

"Ah, that's a fine joke." Roxas twitched as Axel stepped up, resting his hands on the doll's shoulders. "Who put you up to this?"

"A – Axel?" Roxas said, letting his bewilderment show in his voice. "I want to come with you." He didn't see why that would be a joke and Axel's smile faded as he realized the little doll was serious. "We're perfect together. I should have had a partner but he broke. This is meant to be."

"Are you serious?" Axel's smile was gone now and Roxas saw what seemed to be anger growing on the redhead's face. But why would Axel be angry at him? He had to know they were perfect. Didn't he? "Have you lost your little mechanical mind? Do you know what the King would do if we stole his toy?"

"The King? I belong to Princess Kairi. She wouldn't hurt you." Roxas said, bewildered. Yes, the King liked him but he was owned by the Princess. Axel suddenly shook him and there was a soft rattling sound from his joints.

"You can't be that stupid! The King would hang us all if he found you with us!" Axel snapped and Roxas stared. "Get out of here, go back to the palace, right now!"

"But Axel…!" Roxas voice rose in a wail that he knew would have to be drawing attention but he didn't care. Axel's voice easily overrode his as the redhead shook him again.

"I have a family here! A sister, a brother and my elderly mother! I'm not risking them for a stupid doll! Go home Roxas, right now!" Roxas felt like all his strings had been cut, like he was a marionette with nothing left to support him. Axel shoved him back and the horse snorted as the little doll landed against him. The two stared at each other for a moment before Roxas spoke.

"Good-bye." His voice held all the heartbreak his frozen little face never could. Axel said nothing, just watching as the doll mounted his horse and rode away.

"Silly little thing." He sighed and went back to his mending, feeling a faint pang of guilt. But no matter what, Roxas couldn't have stayed with them. Stealing a piece of the King's property was simply out of the question.

No matter what Roxas wanted.


	2. Sad Ending

"Roxas, what's wrong with you?" Kairi was more than a little frustrated with her doll.

Since the end of the play, things had changed. It seemed like the life had gone out of Roxas' dancing. It was still beautiful, still mechanically perfect but there was no spark there. Before, Roxas enjoyment of the dance had always shone through, making him an inspiration. Now there was nothing. That was difficult to deal with, but even worse in Kairi's opinion was the way Roxas was acting. If she didn't know better she'd have thought her toy was depressed.

"Nothing Mistress." Roxas tone was dull and Kairi would tell he wasn't reading the book he was holding, only staring at the pages. "I am fully functional."

"You could have fooled me!" Kairi sighed, standing and gripping Roxas' arm. "Come on, we're going to the gardens. Some fresh air will do you good." She vaguely remembered that sunshine and plenty of air helped depressed people. Roxas wasn't really a person but it couldn't hurt.

"Yes Mistress." Roxas followed obediently. What did it matter if he was one place or another? It was all equally meaningless. Although the bright sunshine and the beautiful gardens did make him feel a bit warmer, somehow. But that only made him want to go back indoors. He didn't want to be comforted.

"There, that's better." Kairi sat on a small bench and Roxas followed suit. He was dressed in his little toy soldier suit today and looked very pretty beside her. "Really Roxas, what's wrong? You can tell me." Roxas wavered for a moment but finally broke down. Kairi had been nothing but kind to him. If he couldn't tell her who could he tell?

"I have no partner Mistress. My partner has gone and I am alone." Roxas stared away blankly, not seeing the trees, flowers and warm sunlight. "I am a stupid doll." Axel's words were haunting him. Had the redhead rejected him because of the King or did he just not feel the same way? Was Axel not meant to be his partner after all? And did it matter? Either way he was alone.

"You are not! Who told you that?" Roxas refused to answer and after a moment Kairi sighed, gripping his shoulder. "You know, maybe we could see about buying a partner for you." Tau Li dolls were ruinously expensive though, even for a King. Roxas shook his head.

"No Mistress. You would have to send me back to them." The wizards would need to couple him with his new partner and that thought worried Roxas. He wasn't sure what it entailed. Kairi considered it for a moment.

"Well, if you don't shape up a bit we might have to." Roxas didn't react, looking away. Kairi waited a moment, then sighed and stood. "We'll talk about it some other time."

That talk never happened. Kairi's wedding was less than a year away now, and the King's Ministers began to prepare her for her upcoming nuptials. The King was no longer calling on Roxas to dance and Kairi gradually stopped summoning him just to be with him. The little doll sat in her rooms most of the time, not seeing any of the pink lace and soft, feminine decorations. He spent far more time than he needed to in the closet in his rest mode but no one seemed to notice.

Sometimes, at night, Roxas would wander the castle. Not for any real reason but because he couldn't stay in rest mode forever and sitting in Kairi's room was sometimes too much for even a toy to bear. So he wandered. And one night, in his wanderings, he happened to walk into his costume room.

Roxas stared at the costumes hanging in the wardrobe. There was a bit of dust on the dark wood but not too much. Reaching out he slowly touched the fine fabrics. Everything was here, all the special costumes he'd worn for dances and plays. Slowly sorting through the gowns Roxas touched pink and white lace and carefully pulled out the gown, looking at it for a long moment. It made him hurt in ways the little doll didn't understand but he found himself putting on the gown, pulling off the soldier costume he'd worn for weeks. Searching in the cupboards he found the brown wig and tiara, easing them on and looking in the mirror. If he pretended he could hear the music…

Roxas began to dance, delicate and graceful. His memory supplied his partner, the feel of warm hands and the sight of red hair and bright green eyes. In his mind he created beauty again, twirling and dancing to music only he could hear with a partner that existed only in his dreams. The final notes trailed off and Roxas suddenly collapsed to his knees, like a marionette with cut strings. He lowered his head sadly.

"Axel." If anyone had been there they might have understood the little dolls heartbreak.

But there was no one there to hear. Roxas finally rose from the floor, stripping off his gown and putting back on his soldier suit before returning to Kairi's room.

What else was there to do?

"The King summons you." A maid said to Roxas, who lifted his head without interest. "Hurry now." He slowly stood and the maid gently brushed his coat a bit, giving his hair a quick brush. Roxas hadn't bothered for weeks although his hair didn't tangle much. Leaving behind Kairi's room Roxas vaguely wondered what the King wanted with him. Was he being called to dance? He didn't want to dance.

The maid took him to the throne room and Roxas saw that Kairi wasn't there. That was odd. The King regarded Roxas for a moment and Roxas saw that there was a small pair of what looked like rich merchants looking at him.

"Roxas, I'm not entirely certain what's wrong with you. But as a midwinter gift to Kairi, I'm sending you back to Tau to be fixed and have a partner made." Roxas didn't like that but didn't know what to say. He was going to fixed? But there was nothing really wrong with him except that he didn't have Axel. He didn't want a new partner. What would the wizards do to fix that? "These merchants are traveling to Tau. You will accompany them."

"Yes Your Majesty." Roxas said softly, lowering his gaze. What did it matter? He couldn't have Axel, couldn't be with his partner. The wizards could do what they liked. Nothing mattered anymore.

He was blind to the landscape as the traveling merchants began their trek to Tau. Some of the children with them liked to hug him and begged him to dance but Roxas gently shoo'd them away. The merchants treated him like baggage, which suited Roxas fine. He didn't want to talk with them.

Some vague curiosity stirred as they came to Tau. He vaguely remembered this land, full of rocky mountains and glorious sunsets. It was a dry place and they had to travel through a desert to rich the City of Tau. It was there that he was finally delivered to the wizards.

Roxas remembered them. They wore their hair and beards in braids and had odd symbols worked into their long, flowing robes. A tall, distinguished wizard with grey hair looked him over as the other opened a box that had come with him. Roxas was surprised to see that it was the broken body of his partner doll. They had shipped that back with him as well? Long silver hair spread out over a bench as the second wizard placed the doll on a workstation and began to examine him.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked as the wizard examining him selected a tool. For a moment he thought the wizard wouldn't answer but then he did.

"Turning you off. You'll have to be reworked." Roxas wanted to flinch away but found he could only bend obediently as the wizard turned him in the right way to find a special spot on the back of his neck. "Dolls like you need partners. I would venture to guess that's why you've been having problems. Don't worry, you'll feel nothing and when we're done you'll have a new name, a partner and you won't remember any of this." Roxas felt fear then.

"But I don't want to forget." He protested breathily as he felt the tool inserted in his neck. It didn't hurt but his eyesight suddenly dimmed. "Ax…el…" Glass blue eyes dimmed, going from shining blue to empty glass and the wizards began their work.

A week later two dolls departed with the merchants. The merchants marveled at how the formerly silent blonde, now a brunette, had come to life. He danced with his silver haired partner, laughed and spoke. The silver haired doll was quieter but friendly and the children loved them both. Everyone agreed that they were beautiful dolls and a vast improvement over the first one.

"Father, what is this?" Kairi was bewildered when she was presented with her new dolls. She'd been told Roxas was having some work done on him but she could tell immediately that neither of these dolls were Roxas. "Where is Roxas?"

"I had him sent back to the wizards for you, Kairi." King Ansem gestured at the dolls. "And had his partner repaired. They had to rework him a bit but I had them tested and their an excellent pair of dolls." Kairi was dismayed but then Sora stepped forward to take her hand.

"I'm Sora, Mistress, and this is Riku. Would you like to see us dance?" Kairi hesitated. She'd gotten Roxas when she was only a little girl and had come to love him, but he'd been a sad, boring thing for the past half year. And what her father had done was already complete. Besides, he was just a doll.

"Please." Kairi was delighted as the two dolls danced. She'd almost forgotten how beautiful Roxas' dances could be and it was even more perfect with another doll. The two dolls danced with joy and it shone in their dance.

Before the wedding, the traveling carnival came to the city again. And again, the King asked if they could incorporate his doll into the act, but this time there were two. The owner of the carnival gladly accepted. The doll had done a fantastic job last time and two would be even better.

"Roxas!" Axel was glad to see the little doll and gladder still to hear that he'd been given a partner. Since he left, the toy had been haunting his thoughts. It was silly but he'd been a touch worried about the doll and hoping things were going well for Roxas. But the doll didn't respond to his greeting, just looking into a mirror and adjusting his brown wig. "Roxas?" Axel gripped the doll's shoulders and turned him to look into his face then suddenly frowned. Something wasn't quite right.

"I'm not Roxas. I'm Sora." The doll said softly and Axel blinked, staring into blue glass eyes that were the exact shade as the ones he remembered. "Who are you?"

"I – I'm Axel. Oh, are you Roxas' partner?" Axel asked hopefully but Sora shook his head.

"Oh no. Roxas is gone." Sora tilted his head thoughtfully to one side. "You would that Roxas is… dead. Yes. Roxas is dead."

"Dead? What happened to him?" Axel was shocked. How could a doll die? Although they could certainly be broken but that wasn't the same, they could always be rebuilt. Sora explained calmly.

"He was sent back to the wizards because he would not dance properly. They reworked his mind, renamed him and gave him a partner. I am Sora now. The wizards told me I might remember a few small things but not to worry about it." Sora's tone changed, a note of dark enjoyment entering his innocent tone as he looked into Axel's face. "Why so upset? He was only a stupid doll." Axel stumbled away, horrified by the echo of his own words and pursued by Sora's empty laughter.

"Who was that Sora?" Riku said from behind him and Sora turned away from the departing man to his partner.

"No one important." Sora looked at Riku in his beautiful soldier suit and gripped his shoulders, meeting his eyes of aquamarine glass. "Let's dance." As they danced, Sora heard something in his mind, a tiny voice that was laughing. Or perhaps it was weeping. He couldn't quite be sure but it really didn't matter.

It was nothing but a remnant of a broken little doll.


	3. Happy Ending

"Roxas, what's wrong with you?" Kairi was more than a little frustrated with her doll.

Since the end of the play, things had changed. It seemed like the life had gone out of Roxas' dancing. It was still beautiful, still mechanically perfect but there was no spark there. Before, Roxas enjoyment of the dance had always shone through, making him an inspiration. Now there was nothing. That was difficult to deal with, but even worse in Kairi's opinion was the way Roxas was acting. If she didn't know better she'd have thought her toy was depressed.

"Nothing Mistress." Roxas tone was dull and Kairi would tell he wasn't reading the book he was holding, only staring at the pages. "I am fully functional."

"You could have fooled me!" Kairi sighed, standing and gripping Roxas' arm. "Come on, we're going to the gardens. Some fresh air will do you good." She vaguely remembered that sunshine and plenty of air helped depressed people. Roxas wasn't really a person but it couldn't hurt.

"Yes Mistress." Roxas followed obediently. What did it matter if he was one place or another? It was all equally meaningless. Although the bright sunshine and the beautiful gardens did make him feel a bit warmer, somehow. But that only made him want to go back indoors. He didn't want to be comforted.

"There, that's better." Kairi sat on a small bench and Roxas followed suit. He was dressed in his little toy soldier suit today and looked very pretty beside her. "Really Roxas, what's wrong? You can tell me." Roxas wavered for a moment but finally broke down. Kairi had been nothing but kind to him. If he couldn't tell her who could he tell?

"I have no partner Mistress. My partner has gone and I am alone." Roxas stared away blankly, not seeing the trees, flowers and warm sunlight. "I am a stupid doll." Axel's words were haunting him. Had the redhead rejected him because of the King or did he just not feel the same way? Was Axel not meant to be his partner after all? And did it matter? Either way he was alone.

"You are not! Who told you that?" Roxas refused to answer and after a moment Kairi sighed, gripping his shoulder. "You know, maybe we could see about buying a partner for you." Tau Li dolls were ruinously expensive though, even for a King. Roxas shook his head.

"No Mistress. You would have to send me back to them." The wizards would need to couple him with his new partner and that thought worried Roxas. He wasn't sure what it entailed. Kairi considered it for a moment.

"Well, if you don't shape up a bit we might have to." Roxas didn't react, looking away. Kairi waited a moment, then sighed and stood. "We'll talk about it some other time."

That talk never happened. Kairi's wedding was less than a year away now, and the King's Ministers began to prepare her for her upcoming nuptials. The King was no longer calling on Roxas to dance and Kairi gradually stopped summoning him just to be with him. The little doll sat in her rooms most of the time, not seeing any of the pink lace and soft, feminine decorations. He spent far more time than he needed to in the closet in his rest mode but no one seemed to notice.

Sometimes, at night, Roxas would wander the castle. Not for any real reason but because he couldn't stay in rest mode forever and sitting in Kairi's room was sometimes too much for even a toy to bear. So he wandered. And one night, in his wanderings, he happened to walk into his costume room.

Roxas stared at the costumes hanging in the wardrobe. There was a bit of dust on the dark wood but not too much. Reaching out he slowly touched the fine fabrics. Everything was here, all the special costumes he'd worn for dances and plays. Slowly sorting through the gowns Roxas touched pink and white lace and carefully pulled out the gown, looking at it for a long moment. It made him hurt in ways the little doll didn't understand but he found himself putting on the gown, pulling off the soldier costume he'd worn for weeks. Searching in the cupboards he found the brown wig and tiara, easing them on and looking in the mirror. If he pretended he could hear the music…

Roxas began to dance, delicate and graceful. His memory supplied his partner, the feel of warm hands and the sight of red hair and bright green eyes. In his mind he created beauty again, twirling and dancing to music only he could hear with a partner that existed only in his dreams. The final notes trailed off and Roxas suddenly collapsed to his knees, like a marionette with cut strings. He lowered his head sadly.

"Axel." Roxas was unaware of brown eyes watching him from behind the door.

Winter turned into spring, the seasons passing without acknowledgement. Roxas was vaguely aware of something happening, something that involved him but he didn't care. Kairi began to take notice of him again.

"Come on Roxas! It's beautiful outside. Change into a gown and put on the blonde wig." Kairi chivvied her doll along, revoltingly cheerful. Roxas sighed to himself but obediently changed into a light summer dress and a long blonde wig. It made him look like a lady in waiting. "It's easy to glum around in the winter but now its spring and you need some fresh air."

"Yes Mistress." Roxas said obediently, following Kairi into the gardens. It annoyed him how being in the gardens with their growing things really did lighten his mood. He couldn't be happy. Axel wasn't there.

"You know, Roxas, it's been a while since we talked." Of course, that was because her doll had started giving one word replies to everything. And the wedding had been consuming much of her time. "I'm going to be a married woman soon. The Prince arrived just yesterday you know."

"I did not know that Mistress." Despite himself Roxas found his curiosity rousing. "Is he nice?" Kairi smiled happily.

"He seems to be. His name is Sora. He's certainly as handsome as the pictures and he seems kind." To Kairi, those were the most important things. Anything else she could live with. "You should come meet him. Oh, and the carnival is going to be in town next week." Kairi said with artful innocence but Roxas didn't notice. He felt like his mind had suddenly seized.

"The carnival?" He echoed. "Which carnival, Mistress?"

"Mr. Pallister's Carnival of Wonders. The same one we saw about this time last year. I've already checked and they would love for you to dance again." She didn't mention that she'd plotted this with her father months ahead of time. He'd wanted to send Roxas back to Tau but she'd convinced him this was a better idea. "And that redhead is still working there. They won't be doing the Queen's Lament this year, of course, but I'm sure they could partner you with him for something else."

"Axel?" Roxas couldn't keep the yearning out of his voice. It was silly and he'd just be disappointed again when Axel left… but he couldn't care about that. He'd have his partner back, if only for a little while. "I – I would enjoy that Mistress." Glass blue eyes met brown and Roxas felt really engaged for the first time in months. Kairi smiled, patting his shoulder.

"Good! Let's go plan your costume. They're putting on Fairy Charms and I think you're going to be playing Miss Thistledown." That was a part that actually had some acting and a few short lines, but Roxas could act a bit. Then during the main fairy dance there would be a solo between Miss Thistledown and her fiancée, Mr. Singsalot. It was a rather silly play but beautiful. "I have the costumers making wings."

Roxas went willingly with Kairi and felt real pleasure again in costuming. The royal dressmakers knew his measurements by heart so it was all the pleasure of picking out fabrics and designing the gown. He couldn't be too spectacular since he wasn't the main character but Kairi had already consulted with the carnival master via magic messages, so she knew what kind of gowns the other fairies would be wearing. They were pretty assorted anyway to give the fairy dance a feel of something that could really have happened. They finally decided on a white and black gown made of light, gauzy fabric. It would be layered and would float beautifully as Roxas danced. The fairy wings would be a light blue, shining fabric on a wire frame.

Roxas was anxious as time passed, waiting for the carnival to arrive and the play to begin. He wasn't worried about his performance. His worries were solely about Axel. Would the redhead be happy to see him? Would he want to dance again? But surely he would or the carnival master would have refused to pair him with Roxas.

The carnival arrived and it felt a little surreal to Roxas, getting in the carriage again to go to the play. At least his costume was different than last time. In addition to the black and white costume, he was actually using his own hair rather than a wig. Kairi had thought the blonde spikes would be cute for a fairy.

"Your Majesty!" Mr. Pallister was there again to greet them with Axel beside him and Roxas felt a wave of déjà vu. Nothing had changed except the redhead's clothes. It was so strange. "Welcome back to the carnival. I believe you already know Axel?" He wasn't going to assume they remembered. The King nodded with a smile.

"Yes, I do from last year. Roxas was very impressed with you." Roxas vaguely wondered what the King meant. He hadn't mentioned Axel since the carnival left. But then, he had been rather obvious about his feelings while the carnival was there. Maybe that was it. "Please take good care of him." Axel nodded, looking at the little doll.

"Of course Your Majesty." Roxas couldn't separate all of his feelings as Axel took his hand, gently guiding him back to the warm up area. "Roxas… about last year. I'm sorry I called you stupid." Roxas tilted his head, looking into Axel's green eyes as the man stopped. "Have you been okay? I've heard you haven't been dancing." Axel gently touched the doll's face, marveling at how he almost felt like a real person. Roxas looked down for a moment then up again.

"I have… missed you." His tone expressed all the heartache he couldn't express with his face and Axel winced.

"You do know I'll have to leave again." Axel said softly. He couldn't help but pity the little doll. Roxas just nodded.

"I know. But what can I do? I am just a doll." The sadness in his voice was deep enough to drown in. "Axel, the future will be what it will be. For now, let's dance." Roxas wanted to focus on enjoying the moment with his partner, not worrying about what would happen afterwards. Axel seemed to understand and nodded, taking his hands.

They danced all week and every night was as beautiful as the last. Roxas felt himself losing his heart all over again as he finally had a partner again. Then came the final day of the carnival. The King stood as the cast took their final bows and spoke, his voice amplified by magic so the entire crowd could hear.

"Thank you for the amazing performance! Except for the third day, this has been a wonderful show." There was a ripple of laughter in the audience. Day three had involved a stuck trap door and an actor caught like a fly in amber half in and half out of it. "I have an announcement to make. As you all know, my daughter Kairi is being married soon, and she feels this is an auspicious time to put her childhood toys away." Roxas tilted his head as Axel tensed beside him. The King could only be referring to him but what were they doing? "Roxas has been very sad all winter missing the man who was his partner last year." That shocked Roxas. How had the King known? "So Princess Kairi has decided to make a gift of her Tau Li doll to the entire caravan and to Axel in particular. Please take him with you and show the world the beauty of his dancing." There was a wave of applause and cheers from the audience as Roxas turned, stunned, to look up into Axel's eyes. The redhead was surprised but delighted.

"Worth the wait, hey? You're going to come see the world with me!" Axel lifted the doll and spun him around much to the crowd's delight. "Have you ever traveled before?"

"Only to Tau." Roxas said breathlessly and Axel smiled. "This is so wonderful. Thank you Kairi!" He tried to call and waved to the Princess, who waved back with a smile.

She would be sad to see her doll go knew this would be the best for him. Finally after all the years he had made her happy, he could be happy in return.

_~FIN~_


End file.
